Jail time helps teen drug trafficker go clean

Peter Hardwick
Reporter
Peter started in 1976 as apprentice typesetter/comp and has 32 years with The Chronicle in three stints (in between working/holidays in UK/Europe, Brisbane and Melbourne). Entered editorial from comp room in 1996.

All of the transactions took place in Roma from 2011 to last year and Murray's offending had come to light through text messages on his phone and by his own admissions to police, she said.

Murray had spent 288 days in custody since his arrest in July last year.

Murray pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking, nine of supplying methylamphetamine, five of supplying marijuana to minors and one of break-and-enter arising from the theft of three bottles of alcohol from the Roma Darts Association.

His barrister Robbie Davies said his client had an addiction to marijuana but since his time in custody he was clean of the drug.

His client had a job to go to in the Kingaroy district upon his release from prison and was ready to be returned to the community, he said.

Justice Peter Lyons noted Murray had been subject to probation and community service orders at the time and was on a two-month suspended sentence.

However, Justice Lyons said he accepted the trafficking was a "very small scale operation" and sentenced Murray to two-and-a-half year's jail with 288 days pre-sentence custody declared as time served with the balance suspended immediately for three years.

Murray was also placed on two years probation and released from custody.